27, November 2025

Yaoundé: 2026 budget deficit set to double on higher spending needs ⁰

Cameroon expects its 2026 budget deficit to more than double due to a sharp rise in spending aimed at supporting economic activity amid continued global instability, according to a draft finance bill presented to Parliament late on Wednesday.

Cameroon is highly exposed to external shocks, including price volatility, due to its heavy reliance on imports of fuel, wheat and automobiles.

The overall deficit is projected to be 631 billion CFA francs ($1.11 billion), up from 309.9 billion in 2025, raising the government’s total financing needs to 3,104.2 billion CFA francs in 2026, compared with 2,326.5 billion this year.

The government has proposed a 2026 state budget of 8,816.4 billion CFA francs, up 14% from 2025, driven by higher personnel costs, goods and services, transfers and debt payments.

The draft bill is expected to pass as President Paul Biya’s ruling CPDM party holds a majority in both houses of Parliament.

Economic growth is expected to improve, reaching 4.3% in 2026, up from an estimated 3.9% in 2025.

“This growth would be driven primarily by the strong performance in the non-oil sector, while the oil sector is expected to contract slightly by 0.1% in 2026,” a government statement said, adding that inflation would ease by 0.2% from the current 3.2%.

To cover its financing gap and other obligations, the government plans to rely on 1,000 billion CFA francs in external borrowing, 826.7 billion CFA francs in project loans, 589.7 billion CFA francs in bank financing and 400 billion CFA francs from issuing government securities, along with budget support and exceptional financing.

Cameroon, Central Africa’s largest economy with major sectors in oil and gas, cocoa and timber, has recently stepped up borrowing to plug budget shortfalls and fund infrastructure.

Over the past few years, Cameroon has suffered from liquidity problems, pushing the government to carry out structural reforms and broaden its tax base.

Source: Reuters

27, November 2025

Indomitable Lions: date announced for Marc Brys’ departure ⁰

The fate of current Indomitable Lions head coach Marc Brys is all but sealed. The Belgian tactician is set to leave his position.

Marc Brys is edging closer to Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to sign in January. The Belgian coach, who took charge of the Indomitable Lions in April 2024, boasts an impressive record to date. In 15 matches, he has suffered only one defeat, and successfully led the Cameroonian team to qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Early reports suggest Patrice Carteron is the front-runner to take over. Carteron is no stranger to African football, having led Mali to a bronze medal at AFCON 2013. He is, however, better known for his club achievements on the continent, winning multiple titles. With TP Mazembe, he lifted the CAF Champions League trophy in 2015, before clinching back-to-back CAF Super Cups in 2019 and 2020—first with Raja Casablanca and then with Zamalek SC.

Source: Foot Africa

27, November 2025

The Holy Father arrives in Turkey on first foreign trip of papacy ⁰

Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Turkey at the start of the first foreign trip of his papacy, where he will mark an historic Christian anniversary, before heading to Lebanon days after Israeli airstrikes on its capital, Beirut.

As he travelled to Ankara, the Pope summed up the message of his trip by saying that “all men, women can truly be brothers and sisters, in spite of differences, in spite of different religions, in spite of different beliefs”.

Visits to both countries had originally been planned by the late Pope Francis, but the overarching theme – building bridges – is one Pope Leo has made his own from the moment he stepped on to the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after his election in May.

Since he became pontiff six months ago, he has conveyed a sense of being extremely measured, even cautious. But on this trip, his powers of diplomacy will be closely scrutinised.

A key moment of the trip will take place in the Turkish town of Iznik, the site of the ancient city of Nicaea. Pope Leo and leaders of other Christian traditions will gather to mark the anniversary of an ancient council that took place there 1,700 years ago. In 325 AD, among other key decisions, more than 200 bishops at the council affirmed the belief that Jesus was the son of God, eventually leading to what is known as the Nicene Creed.

Eastern and Western branches of Christianity later dramatically split, but during this trip there will be messages of togetherness and healing divisions.

In Turkey the Pope will also visit the Blue Mosque, as both his immediate predecessors Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI had done. He will have meetings with other religious leaders in a gesture of inter-religious dialogue before flying on to the second leg of the trip.

Source: BBC

26, November 2025

US: Two National Guard in critical condition after shooting near White House ⁰

Two National Guard members are in a critical condition after they were shot in Washington DC, FBI Director Kash Patel says.

The suspect has been taken into custody and the scene near the White House is secured, police say.

The attacker came around a corner at 14:15 local time (19:15 GMT), raised his firearm, and shot at the National Guard members, officials say

The suspect was also shot during the incident and taken to hospital – US President Donald Trump says they were “severely wounded”

West Virginia’s Governor Patrick Morrisey earlier said both National Guard members had died, before posting that he was hearing “conflicting reports” about their condition.

Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth says Trump has asked him to send 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington DC after the attack.

Source: BBC

26, November 2025

France: ex-president Sarkozy risks second final conviction for illegal campaign financing ⁰

France’s top appeals court on Wednesday rules in a case of alleged illegal campaign financing against former president Nicolas Sarkozy – his last chance to escape adding a second definitive conviction to his growing rap sheet.

The Court of Cassation in Paris will rule on whether a lower court was right to convict him of illegal financing in his failed 2012 re-election campaign.

If it upholds Sarkozy’s conviction, he will serve a six-month term, possibly with an electronic bracelet.

Sarkozy, a one-term president from 2007-2012, has faced a series of legal challenges since leaving office.

Wednesday’s hearing is his last chance to escape a second conviction after he was sent to jail last month in a separate case related to an earlier election campaign.

In that trial, the 70-year-old was found guilty of allowing aides to seek to collect money for his 2007 presidential run from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

His 20 days behind bars made him the first post-war French leader to serve jail time before he was released on November 10 under judicial supervision pending an appeal in that case also.

In December last year, he exhausted his last legal recourse in a third case, after being convicted of trying to extract favours from a judge.

He served that sentence with an electronic ankle tag, which was removed in May after several months.

Campaign funding accusations

The case under review on Wednesday focuses on charges that Sarkozy’s right-wing party worked with a public relations firm, Bygmalion, to hide the true cost of his 2012 re-election bid.

Prosecutors said Sarkozy spent nearly €43 million (almost $50 million) on his 2012 campaign, nearly double the permitted amount of €22.5 million.

Unlike his co-defendants, he was not implicated in the double-billing system allegedly used to cover costs but was held accountable as the beneficiary of illegal campaign financing in his capacity as a candidate.

Sarkozy has denied “any criminal responsibility” in the case, denouncing the allegations as “lies”.

A lower appeals court in February last year confirmed his conviction in the case, but the Court of Cassation could order a retrial if the appeal is found to be valid.

Despite his legal problems, the ex-leader remains an influential figure on the right.

He was received by President Emmanuel Macron before entering prison and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a former protege, sparked criticism by meeting Sarkozy inside Paris’s La Sante jail.

A court later barred Sarkozy from seeing the minister and other officials as part of restrictions tied to his release from prison.

A fortnight after his release, the ex-leader announced he would publish a book next month about his experience of serving three weeks in jail.

Source: AFP

26, November 2025

Eulogy for HRH Nfor Professor Teddy Ako of Ossing ⁰

This Friday, 28 November 2025, Ossing will lay to rest their Chief, Nfor Professor Ako Edward Oben, who passed away on 18 August 2025 after a brief illness. Chief Ako was a scholar of rare distinction, a traditional ruler with integrity, and a true son of Manyu whose light will shine forever. His life was a journey of learning and service, one that lifted his family, advanced Ossing through development projects and enriched generations of Cameroonians.

Born on 18 May 1951 in Ossing Village, Eyumojock Subdivision, Manyu Division, Chief Professor Ako hailed from the Boh Ako clan of Ebarensi Quarter. From childhood, he displayed uncommon brilliance and a firm moral compass. Those who knew him as a boy remember his sharp intellect, calm nature, and sense of purpose far beyond his years. He began his education at Basel Mission Primary School, Ossing, obtaining his First School Leaving Certificate in 1963. His teachers quickly recognised his intelligence and discipline. He went on to the Bilingual Grammar School, Man O’War Bay, where he earned his GCE Ordinary Level in 1969, and then to the Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology, Bambili, where he completed his Advanced Level in 1971.

In 1975, he graduated from the University of Yaoundé with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English and French, a bilingual foundation that defined his academic identity. Ever eager to broaden his horizons, he travelled to the United States in 1976 and obtained a Master’s degree in Afro-American Studies from Atlanta University in 1978. His research explored African American, Afro-French, and Caribbean literatures, reflecting his deep engagement with the shared struggles and triumphs of people of African descent. Determined to go further, he pursued a PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Illinois, which he completed in 1982.

While completing his doctorate, he lectured at the University of Illinois, earning admiration for his brilliance, humility, and dedication. Yet even at the height of his promise abroad, his heart remained at home. Upon earning his PhD, Dr Teddy Ako returned to Cameroon, determined to serve the nation that had shaped him.

While studying in the United States, he met and married Mrs Ray Ako, his lifelong companion and pillar of support. In 1982, after returning to Cameroon, he joined the University of Yaoundé as a Senior Lecturer, beginning a long and distinguished academic and administrative career. Over the years, he served as Dean of Student Services, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Vice-Rector for Research and Cooperation, and Chair of the Department of English. In 2005, he rose to the rank of Full Professor of American and Commonwealth Literature.

Beyond academia, Professor Ako also served his country as Technical Adviser at the Secretariat General of the Presidency of the Republic. From 2008 to 2017, he was Rector of the University of Maroua, where he played a vital role in expanding higher education in Cameroon’s Far North Region. Since 2017, he had served as Pro-Chancellor of the University of Buea, continuing his lifelong commitment to nurturing minds and strengthening institutions.

A teacher to many and a mentor to more, Professor Ako’s influence reached across continents as he supervised more than twenty doctoral theses, over forty master’s dissertations, and countless research projects. His former students, many now professors, administrators, and leaders, speak of him with gratitude and reverence. His classrooms were places of transformation, where intellect met integrity.

Yet beyond the university and the nation, his heart remained anchored in his beloved Ossing village. For decades, he was a pillar of community life, serving as Branch President of the Ossing Development and Cultural Association (ODCA) and Assistant Secretary-General of the Manyu Elements Cultural Association (MECA) in Yaoundé. He believed that true progress begins at home in unity and culture.

When fate called again in 2019, after the passing of Nfor General James Tataw, the chieftaincy stool of Ossing returned to the Boh Ako clan. Guided by ancestral wisdom, the elders and kingmakers unanimously chose Professor Teddy Ako to lead the village. He was presented to the Cameroon administrative authorities and to the world on 9 August 2020, and formally enthroned as Chief of Ossing on 9 December 2022, a historic day that affirmed the people’s faith in his ability to unite and transform their village.

From the outset of his reign, Chief Ako focused on rebuilding and modernising Ossing. One of his earliest projects was the installation of solar streetlights throughout the village, illuminating every quarter and bringing safety after dark. He also expanded access to clean water, ensuring that most quarters had functional boreholes. The Agborkem Quarter and Market Square, now with a 24-hour water supply, stand as symbols of his practical leadership.

Under his stewardship, the Ossing hospital, long abandoned was restored, and the government schools that were derelicts due to the Anglophone crisis revived, returning essential services to the community. Perhaps his most ambitious vision was the Ossing Multipurpose Centre, now partially completed but already serving as a hub for social, cultural, and educational activities. Equipped with running water and modern flushing toilet facilities, it stands as a living testament to his foresight and commitment. Fittingly, he will lie in state in this monumental hall, a place he dreamed, designed, and delivered.

Chief Ako led with transparency and accountability. When Chief Ako took over the village in 2022, there was little appetite from the Ossing children to contribute towards development in the village. The Traditional Council had barely any money in its coffers. However, after his coronation, Ossing’s sons and daughters at home and abroad gave generously towards development projects because they all felt confident in his stewardship. In less than three years, he mobilised over 100 million CFA francs for development, funding boreholes, solar lighting, and the multipurpose hall. Among his final acts was the revival of the Badi Water Project, now operational. At his passing, the Ossing Traditional Council’s account held CFA 7,745,594, evidence of his integrity and careful management.

Fluent in Kenyang and Keyaka, he bridged the linguistic divide in the village with ease. He valued every quarter and treated all his subjects with fairness and respect. Chief Professor Ako lived by principle, and was gentle in speech, humble in manner, and steadfast in purpose. He sought not wealth or political status and appointment, but impact. Those fortunate to know him remember his calm voice, his patient listening, and his quiet wisdom.

Together with his lifelong wife, Mrs Ray Ako, they raised four children and were blessed with five grandchildren, all living embodiments of his values of service, faith, and integrity. He also leaves behind his loving sister, Mama Catherine Ako, and the entire Ossing community, who mourn him deeply. As Ossing mourns, it also celebrates a life that uplifted many and brought genuine development to the village. Chief Professor Ako leaves behind a proud village, and a grateful nation. To Ossing, he was more than a chief; he was a bridge between past and future, proof that integrity, compassion, and leadership can walk hand in hand.

His legacy lives not only in the papers and books he wrote, and the students he mentored, but in the light shining over Ossing’s streets, the clean water flowing through its quarters, the schools operational in Ossing now, the multipurpose centre that bears his vision, and the hearts he inspired. His life reminds us that greatness is not measured by titles or possessions but by the lives we uplift and the values we leave behind. Though he has journeyed to join Ta-Ako, Ta-Tanyi Besong, Nfor SA Arrey, Ta-Agborebang, Nfor Tataw, Ta-Etchu, Ta Ta-Manyi, and other distinguished ancestors of Ebarensi and Ossing, his legacy will endure because Ossing is a better place because of Nfor Prof. Ako Edward Oben.

May his soul rest in eternal peace. May his wisdom continue to guide Ossing. Long live Chief Ako’s legacy. Long live Ossing.

By Sessekou Isong Asu, London, with additional information from Ossing Traditional Council

25, November 2025

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Yerima reacts to Archbishop Nkea’s letter ⁰

We begin by expressing our appreciation for the release of the five Reverend fathers and sisters who were previously held. Their release is a welcome act of humanity and restraint, consistent with our values and the principles that guide our quest for justice, dignity, and self-determination.

However, we must address, with due seriousness, the recent letter from the Archbishop of Bamenda, paragraphs 4.2 and 4.3, calling for churches and schools to close and for followers to march to Baba to demand the release of Father Berinyuy. While we recognize the emotional weight of this call, we must equally point out the long-standing silence and selective activism of certain church leaders in the face of a brutal and ongoing genocide unleashed by the Biya regime against the people of Ambazonia.

For years, Ambazonian Catholic Christians and other Christians, men, women, catechists, youths, and even clergyhave been arbitrarily arrested, tortured, disappeared, and killed by the Cameroon military. Yet, we have not witnessed these bishops organizing a march to free their parishioners unjustly detained in Yaoundé, Buea, Bamenda, or Douala. We have not seen a call to action from them when entire villages were burned, children mutilated, and pregnant women murdered. We have not heard sermons dedicated to truth and justice when political prisoners, fathers, mothers, pastors, and teachers are languishing in jail for exercising their right to self-determination.

Instead, the Archdiocese of Bamenda has increasingly become entangled, willingly or unwillingly, in narratives that legitimize oppression, sanitize injustice, and indirectly uphold the machinery of a genocidal regime. Some within the church hierarchy have chosen the comfort of cooperation over the courage of conviction, prioritizing political positioning, financial incentives, and state approval over prophetic truth.

Let it also be known:

The Ambazonian struggle for self-determination is grounded in internationally recognized legal frameworks, including the African Charter, the UN Charter, and international humanitarian law. Our guiding principle is clear, we do not target religious institutions nor harm servants of God. The Biya regime has a history stained with the blood of murdered priests, pastors, and bishops, but we will never walk that dark path. Our Liberation Volunteers are instructed to uphold life, dignity, and the protection of all clergy, regardless of denomination.

We have consistently and unequivocally condemned kidnapping for ransom, and we do so again today. Whoever is holding Father Berinyuy must release him immediately and unconditionally. Our fight is not against the clergy, nor education, nor the church, it is against military occupation, systemic injustice, and the deliberate attempt to erase a people and their identity.

To the church, we say:

Your biblical mandate is to stand with the oppressed, defend the weak, and speak truth to power, not to collaborate with oppression. If the church has the moral strength to call for marches, let those marches be for peace and justice, for the release of innocent political prisoners, for truth, dialogue, and genuine reconciliation, not only when a cleric is involved.

We call on all clergy to live out their prophetic role. Do not be silent when your Christians are killed. Do not be quiet when children are burned alive. Do not close your eyes when the French Cameroun government commits crimes against humanity in Ambazonia.Let your voice be the voice of justice, not selective compassion.

Our message is clear:

We remain committed to a peaceful, lawful, and principled struggle for the freedom and dignity of our people. We will not tolerate crimes that stain our righteous cause, and we will not accept attempts to derail it through emotional manipulation, intimidation, or misinformation.

May truth prevail.May justice reign.May peace be built on the foundations of dignity, not silence.

For the Ambazonian People

Dabney Yerima

Vice President,

The Federal Republic of Ambazonia

25, November 2025

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff dies aged 81 ⁰

Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican music legend and one of the pioneers of reggae, died due to a seizure followed by pneumonia, his wife said on Monday.

“It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia,” his wife Latifa Chamber posted in a message on Instagram.

“I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career,” Chamber said.

“Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes. I hope you all can respect our privacy during these hard times. Further information will be provided at a later date. See you and we see you Legend,” said the message, which was also signed by their children Lilty and Aken.

Born in Jamaica in 1944 as James Chambers, he began writing songs at a young age before his father took him to the Jamaican capital Kingston, where he would take the stage name Jimmy Cliff.

He was one of just handful of musicians to be awarded the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.

Cliff’s vast repertoire of hits included “Many Rivers to Cross”, “You Can Get It If You Really Want”, “I Can See Clearly Now” and “Wonderful World, Beautiful People”.

‘I still have many rivers to cross’

In the course of a prolific musical career, Cliff recorded more than 30 albums and performed all over the world, including in Paris, in Brazil and at the World’s Fair, an international exhibition held in New York in 1964. The following year, Island Records’ Chris Blackwell, the producer who launched Bob Marley and the Wailers, invited Cliff to work in the UK with him.

Cliff later went into acting, starring in the 1972 classic film “The Harder They Come,” directed by Perry Henzell, which introduced an international audience to reggae music. The movie portrayed the grittier aspects of Jamaican life, redefining the island as more than a tourist playground of cocktails, beaches and waterfalls.

“When I’ve achieved all my ambitions, then I guess that I will have done it and I can just say ‘great’,” he said in a 2019 interview, as he was losing his sight.

“But I’m still hungry. I want it. I’ve still got the burning fire that burns brightly inside of me – like I just said to you. I still have many rivers to cross!”

Known in part for his hit singles as well as for his covers of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now,” which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1993 movie “Cool Runnings,” and Cat Stevens’ “Wild World,” Cliff was a prolific writer who weaved his humanitarian views into his songs.

Bob Dylan said Cliff’s “Vietnam” was the best protest song ever written.

The anti-establishment bent of Cliff’s music gave a voice not only to the hardships faced by Jamaicans, but to the spirit and joy that persevered in spite of poverty and oppression. Over the years, Cliff worked with the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Annie Lennox and Paul Simon.

In 2012, he won a Grammy Award for best reggae album for “Rebirth,” which was produced by punk band Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, and another Grammy in 1984 for “Cliff Hanger.”

Cliff was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Source: Reuters

24, November 2025

Archbishop Nkea attacks Amba fighters targeting priests ⁰

Catholic leaders in Cameroon’s restive North-West region have issued a scathing condemnation of the recent kidnapping of priests, stating that the targeting of religious figures is a clear sign that the separatist struggle has “lost focus” and devolved into pure criminality.

Their remarks follow the abduction of six priests and one member of the laity from the Archdiocese of Bamenda.

According to a release signed by the Archbishop of Bamenda, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya, gunmen abducted Father John Berinyuy Tatah, the parish priest of Babessi, and his assistant on Nov. 15, as they returned from the Mass inaugurating the PAX University Institute in Ndop.

On Nov. 18, four priests and one lay person went to negotiate with the gunmen for the release of the two priests but were also taken captive. While the group was later released, Tatah remains in captivity, with his captors demanding a ransom.

In a Nov. 23 release, Nkea declared the Church will not pay the ransom, setting a Wednesday deadline for the captors to free the priest. He warned that if the deadline passes, all Catholic institutions in the Ndop Deanery will be closed and religious personnel will withdraw.

“The frequent kidnapping of our priests and mission personnel has pushed us to the wall and we say that this should stop with immediate effect,” he added, noting that many lay Christians have also been tortured or killed.

The recent kidnappings are the latest crimes in the separatist conflict that has rocked Cameroon’s English-speaking North West and South West regions for nine years.

The crisis stems from the 1961 reunification of the former French and British Cameroons, creating a bilingual state where the English-speaking minority has long felt marginalized by the Francophone-dominated central government.

Tensions over the perceived erosion of the common law legal system and English-language education practiced in the English-speaking regions boiled over in 2016, leading to peaceful protests that were met with a harsh security crackdown. This response radicalized many in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, sparking an armed insurgency for an independent state called “Ambazonia.”

But what began as a genuine fight for identity has degenerated into criminality, Church leaders argue, and the kidnapping of priests is a testament to this decline.

“The focus has been lost because we cannot be fighting the church, a moral institution and its authority,” said Edith Tanyi, National President of the Catholic Women’s Association (CWA), expressing the disgust and frustration felt by many faithful.

Valentine Tameh, an executive member of the Catholic Men Association in the Bamenda archdiocese, questioned the spiritual legitimacy of a movement that attacks men of God.

“We have heard over and over that the struggle is God-ordained. But when such things begin to happen, then you ask, how can it be God-ordained when priests, pastors, bishops are being kidnapped?” he told Crux.

Tameh argued the conflict has shed any pretense of being a political movement.

“These kidnappings tell me that the ongoing struggle is not a rational struggle any longer,” he asserted. “I think I will not hesitate to call this criminality now… what progress has those huge, extorted sums brought to the people? Nothing at all. So, it’s more or less criminality now,” he said.

Pricillia Agendia, Director of Communication for the Archdiocese, highlighted the demoralizing effect on the community, noting that priests are now targeted “on average, weekly.” She warned that such tactics are undermining the separatists’ cause by alienating potential sympathizers.

“The kidnappings are not helping in any way in resolving the crisis because kidnappings are sending the wrong message about a crisis that drew sympathy at the beginning,” she told Crux.

In his release, Nkea also urged the military to be more professional and ethical—a veiled reference to abuses also committed by security forces. He called on all stakeholders “to do everything within their powers to dialogue and bring this crisis to an end.”

“The people of the North West and South West regions have suffered enough and they deserve to have a quiet life,” the archbishop said.

Source: Crux

24, November 2025

Pope Leo XIV appeals for release of hostages in Cameroon ⁰

In Cameroon earlier this month, a group of Catholic priests and lay faithful were kidnapped, as well.

According to a letter from the Archdiocese of Bamenda received by Crux and published to archdiocesan social media on Saturday, a parish priest and his assistant were taken by separatist Ambazonian fighters on Nov. 15.

For years, the separatists have been trying to establish an independent state in the English-speaking western reach of Cameroon on the border with Nigeria.

Four other priests and one layman, who had gone to plea for the parish priest’s release, were held by the fighters.

The letter from Bamenda’s archbishop, Andrew Nkea, says all but one of the hostages – Father John Berinyuy Tatah – have been released. Tatah, the letter states, is being held for ransom.

“We have made our position clear that the Church never gives ransoms,” the letter states.

The archbishop’s letter also calls on clergy and religious in the Ndop deanery of Baba 1 – the administrative division of the archdiocese in which the kidnappings took place – to close schools and churches if the hostage is not released by Wednesday, Nov. 26.

“If by Friday, 28th November 2025, Fr. John is still in captivity,” the letter states, “the Archbishop, all the priests, religious and members of Christ’s lay faithful will go to Baba 1 and march to the place where Fr. John is being held, and either bring him home, or remain there until he is released.”

The letter also calls on military personnel “to be professional and ethical in their relationship with the people,” noting that soldiers are “supposed to maintain law and order and ensure the security of the people,” rather than “exploit them by collecting money from them or torturing them in any way.”

Source: Crux